Character Relationship Map: Hit!

Characters

• Nick Allen (played by Billy Dee Williams) — protagonist

  Federal agent whose daughter dies from a heroin overdose. He assembles a rogue team of outcasts and leads them to France to assassinate the leaders of a massive heroin cartel. Despite lacking official...

• Mike Willmer (played by Richard Pryor) — supporting

  Former Navy sailor recruited into the assassination team after his wife was raped and murdered by a drug addict. During the Marseille operation, he eliminates a cartel member by shooting a yachtsman w...

• Barry Strong (played by Paul Hampton) — supporting

  Former military sniper recruited into the team through tax leverage. In Marseille, he drives directly onto the chateau grounds to shoot the opium processor, and later accompanies Sherry to a fashion h...

• Dutch Schiller (played by Warren J. Kemmerling) — supporting

  Veteran federal agent nearing retirement, frustrated by the justice system's leniency toward drug dealers. He gathers crucial intelligence on the cartel in Marseille, identifies nine high-value target...

• Sherry Nielson (played by Gwen Welles) — supporting

  Addicted prostitute recruited into the team in exchange for a daily drug supply. She infiltrates the cartel as a waitress and successfully poisons a key leader after overcoming her initial performance...

• Ida (played by Janet Brandt) — supporting

  Elderly team member with a mysterious background in clandestine operations and a personal loss due to drug addiction. During the Marseille hits, she successfully eliminates her assigned target by stab...

• Carlin (played by Zooey Hall) — supporting

  One of two government goons sent by the Director to assassinate Nick Allen. Nick successfully evades their attempt and escapes to regroup with his team.

• Crosby (played by Todd Martin) — supporting

  Partner of Carlin, one of two government operatives dispatched by the Director to eliminate Nick Allen. They fail in their assassination attempt, allowing Nick to escape and continue his mission.

• Herman (played by Sid Melton) — supporting

  Elderly team member with a secretive intelligence background and a son who died from addiction. He executes his target in a movie theater using a shotgun while the victim is watching The Godfather.

• The Director (played by Norman Burton) — supporting

  Head of Nick’s federal agency. Initially dismissive of Nick’s vendetta and later attempts to cover up the unauthorized Marseille operation by blaming French officials. When Nick refuses to comply, the...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• The Director → Crosby (Power Commander And Operative) — Crosby is used as an agent of the Director's institutional retaliation.

  The Director dispatches Crosby with Carlin to eliminate Nick and suppress the unauthorized mission.

• The Director → Carlin (Power Commander And Operative) — Carlin acts under the Director's authority.

  The Director dispatches Carlin to assassinate Nick after Nick continues pursuing the cartel without official approval.

• Carlin → Crosby (Professional Assassination Partners) — They operate as a two-person enforcement team for the Director.

  The Director sends Carlin and Crosby together to assassinate Nick, but Nick escapes their attempt.

• Nick Allen → Sherry Nielson (Professional Recruiter And Operative) — Their relationship is based on recruitment, leverage, and operational dependence.

  Nick offers Sherry a daily supply of dope in exchange for joining the mission, and she later infiltrates the cartel as a waitress.

• Nick Allen → Barry Strong (Professional Recruiter And Recruited Operative) — Nick uses leverage to bring Barry's military skills into the team.

  Nick pressures Barry with his unpaid taxes and recruits him as a former military sniper for the cartel operation.

• Nick Allen → The Director (Professional Subordinate And Superior) — Nick is an agency subordinate whose independent mission brings him into direct conflict with his superior.

  The Director heads Nick's federal agency, initially dismisses Nick's proposal, and later confronts him after the unauthorized operation.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Barry Strong → Sherry Nielson (Alliance Mission Partners) — Their partnership combines Barry's firearms skill with Sherry's infiltration capability.

  Barry and Sherry go to a fashion house and assassinate two additional ringleaders there.

• Barry Strong → Dutch Schiller (Alliance Mission Partners) — They work together during one of the cartel attacks.

  Barry and Dutch drive directly onto the chateau grounds and shoot the opium processor.

• Nick Allen → Dutch Schiller (Alliance Mission Leader And Intelligence Specialist) — Dutch supplies the intelligence that allows Nick's team to plan the Marseille operation.

  Nick recruits Dutch to reconnoiter the cartel, and Dutch later presents intelligence identifying nine targets.

• Nick Allen → Herman (Alliance Teammate) — Herman is an elderly operative whose specialized experience supports Nick's mission.

  Nick recruits Herman into the team, and Herman executes an assigned target with a shotgun in a movie theater.

• Nick Allen → Ida (Alliance Teammate) — Ida serves as a covert operative within Nick's improvised team.

  Nick recruits Ida into the clandestine team, and Ida carries out an assigned assassination by stabbing a target in a restaurant bathroom.

• Nick Allen → Mike Willmer (Alliance Teammate) — Mike is one of Nick's operational specialists.

  Nick recruits Mike for the assassination team, and Mike participates in the Marseille operation by killing the yachtsman with a speargun.

Story Analysis

A grieving federal agent forms an unauthorized team of outcasts to destroy a heroin cartel and confront the institution that enabled it.

Plot Progression

1. The Heroin Pipeline — The film intercuts a Marseille heroin operation with a fatal overdose in Washington, D.C. The death turns Nick's personal grief into a pursuit of the supply network.
2. A Rogue Mission Forms — Nick rejects a routine assignment and proposes targeting the head of the heroin ring. After official support disappears, he assembles a team through pressure and personal appeals.
3. The Agency Strikes Back — The Director sends Carlin and Crosby to kill Nick, forcing him and his recruits into hiding. Dutch then identifies the cartel's nine vulnerable targets.
4. The Marseille Hits — The trained team travels to Marseille and executes a sequence of coordinated assassinations. Each member uses a different method against the cartel's personnel.
5. The Threat Behind the Coverup — After the cartel is dismantled, the Director attempts to conceal the operation and blames French anger. Nick recognizes the institutional threat and leaves after receiving a death threat.